Walther

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To some, Walther Lutheran pitcher Steve Easter can come off as rude, arrogant and egotistical. But he begs to differ. By any description, Easter was a winner Friday. The junior right-hander continued the Broncos' unprecedented march toward the Class A state championship game with a 4-1 complete-game victory over Olney East Richland in the quarterfinals at Silver Cross Field in Joliet. "I see it as confidence," said Easter (9-2), who struck out nine and walked none. "My parents always taught me to be confident in everything I do. I just try to do it to the best of my ability.

They teach about miracles at Walther Lutheran. On Monday, the Broncos' baseball team experienced one. Down 4-3 with two out in the top of the seventh, Walther scratched out four straight hits en route to a 5-4 victory over Herscher in the Benedictine University supersectional. Nate Haras hit a bloop single to right and went to third on Anthony Collaro's grounder through the middle. Cleanup hitter Fred Rose hit a nubber that died in the grass on the third-base side, and he beat the throw for a 4-4 tie. Junior Michael Babchak knocked in the lead run after his grounder hit Herscher starter Rob Winnicki and rolled between third and short.

It's safety first in the great metal vs. wood youth baseball bat debate. That's as it should be. If metal bats launch balls with greater velocity than wood bats do and put fielders -- especially pitchers -- at increased risk, the implements should be launched faster than chewing tobacco. This subject has become the topic of endless arguments, with metal bat proponents pointing to research showing those bats do not increase kids' chances of being seriously injured and opponents relating horror stories of players leveled by line shots.

Isaiah Evans' fourth-quarter jam punctuated the fact that North Lawndale is a second-half team. The 6-foot-5-inch senior's powerful post play started the run that put away Walther Lutheran 78-56 in a Lisle Class AA sectional semifinal Wednesday. Evans scored nine of the Phoenix's first 10 in the final quarter. "We didn't come out playing Phoenix basketball and that's what coach [Lewis Thorpe] said at halftime (a 32-29 advantage)" said Evans, who went scoreless in the first quarter but tied for game-high honors with teammate Cordero Smith with 17 points.

Sometimes basketball is uncomplicated, as Walther Lutheran found out Saturday. Dominique White and her teammates agreed that the Broncos simply didn't shoot well enough in Saturday's Class A tournament semifinal and, as a result, failed to reach the championship game. "We shot horrible," said White, who was studying the box score that showed Walther Lutheran was able to make only 33 percent of its attempts in a 40-36 loss to Breese Central. "Our shots didn't fall. They executed better than us. They outhustled us in many parts of the game."

Emma Schmidt-Swartz and Dominique White have a common bond. They're sophomore starters for Walther Lutheran's girls basketball team. Friday at Illinois State's Redbird Arena, they had another connection. White found several ways to share the ball with Schmidt-Swartz in the Broncos' 64-52 Class A state quarterfinal victory over St. Edward. White delivered nine assists and Schmidt-Swartz finished with a game-high 21 points as Walther (20-12) moved on to an 11 a.m. Saturday semifinal meeting with Breese Central.

With six victories apiece, Chicago Christian and Walther Lutheran had already qualified for the state playoffs. Friday night's showdown was to settle who could go public about Private School League football supremacy. For now, bragging rights belong to Chicago Christian after its 30-7 homecoming victory in Palos Heights. "Every year it's a tough game for our school," Chicago Christian quarterback Alex Haan said. "Everyone knows it's a huge rivalry." Haan had a lot to do with the outcome.

Before Walther Lutheran's Class A quarterfinal game even started Friday, the Broncos had an uncomfortable feeling. "We were nervous in pregame--a bigger court, a lot of people around us," freshman Dominique White said. And then there was Carthage, which did nothing to help Walther Lutheran's comfort level. The Bluegirls from Hancock County on the western edge of the state were never threatened on the way to a 62-46 victory at Redbird Arena. The IHSA's multiplier helped open the door for Walther Lutheran, which hadn't reached the Elite Eight since 1983.